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The 5 Best-Performing Energy ETFs for April 2026
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The 5 Best-Performing Energy ETFs for April 2026
Energy ETFs can help instantly diversify your holdings and add companies from the energy sector to your portfolio.
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6 years of experience Expertise Investing for beginners financial advice long-term investingAlana Benson is an editor who joined NerdWallet in 2019. Historically she has covered a wide variety of investing topics including stocks, socially responsible investing, cryptocurrency, mutual funds, HSAs and financial advice. She is also a frequent contributor to NerdWallet's "Smart Money" podcast. Alana has appeared on FOX Houston and the "PennyWise" podcast and has been quoted in MarketWatch and The Sun. Before joining NerdWallet, she wrote two books on identity theft and several young adult nonfiction titles. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Associated Press, MSN, Yahoo Finance and MarketWatch.
Alana Benson is an editor who joined NerdWallet in 2019. Historically she has covered a wide variety of investing topics including stocks, socially responsible investing, cryptocurrency, mutual funds, HSAs and financial advice. She is also a frequent contributor to NerdWallet's "Smart Money" podcast. Alana has appeared on FOX Houston and the "PennyWise" podcast and has been quoted in MarketWatch and The Sun. Before joining NerdWallet, she wrote two books on identity theft and several young adult nonfiction titles. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Associated Press, MSN, Yahoo Finance and MarketWatch. Published in Editor & Content Strategist + more + more
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19 years of experience Expertise Retirement planning investment management investment accountsArielle O’Shea leads the investing and taxes team at NerdWallet. She has covered personal finance and investing for nearly 20 years, and was a senior writer and spokesperson at NerdWallet before becoming an editor. Previously, she was a researcher and reporter for leading personal finance journalist and author Jean Chatzky, a role that included developing financial education programs, interviewing subject matter experts and helping to produce television and radio segments. Arielle has appeared on the "Today" show, NBC News and ABC's "World News Tonight," and has been quoted in national publications including The New York Times, MarketWatch and Bloomberg News. She is based in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Arielle O’Shea leads the investing and taxes team at NerdWallet. She has covered personal finance and investing for nearly 20 years, and was a senior writer and spokesperson at NerdWallet before becoming an editor. Previously, she was a researcher and reporter for leading personal finance journalist and author Jean Chatzky, a role that included developing financial education programs, interviewing subject matter experts and helping to produce television and radio segments. Arielle has appeared on the "Today" show, NBC News and ABC's "World News Tonight," and has been quoted in national publications including The New York Times, MarketWatch and Bloomberg News. She is based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Published in Head of Content, Investing & Taxes + more + moreIf you want to invest in the energy industry, but you’re not quite ready to become a Texas oil tycoon or install a field of solar panels, you’ve got another option. Energy ETFs make it easy to invest in many energy companies at once.
If you want to invest in the energy industry, but you’re not quite ready to become a Texas oil tycoon or install a field of solar panels, you’ve got another option. Energy ETFs make it easy to invest in many energy companies at once.What is an energy ETF?
What is an energy ETF?An energy ETF is an exchange-traded fund that invests in stocks in the energy sector. These companies are involved in the exploration, production or management of energy resources, including oil and natural gas, alternative energy companies such as wind farms or solar panel producers, and utility companies.
An energy ETF is an exchange-traded fund that invests in stocks in the energy sector. These companies are involved in the exploration, production or management of energy resources, including oil and natural gas, alternative energy companies such as wind farms or solar panel producers, and utility companies.Energy ETFs are similar to other types of funds in that they offer the benefit of diversification, but unlike mutual funds, they can be bought and sold throughout the trading day. ETFs also tend to be cheaper than other funds.
Energy ETFs are similar to other types of funds in that they offer the benefit of diversification, but unlike mutual funds, they can be bought and sold throughout the trading day. ETFs also tend to be cheaper than other funds.Best-performing energy ETFs
Best-performing energy ETFsTicker
Ticker
TickerCompany
Company
CompanyPerformance (Year)
Performance (Year)
Performance (Year)CRAK
CRAKVanEck Oil Refiners ETF
VanEck Oil Refiners ETF68.71%
68.71%PXJ
PXJInvesco Oil & Gas Services ETF
Invesco Oil & Gas Services ETF59.31%
59.31%XES
XESState Street SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Equipment & Services ETF
State Street SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Equipment & Services ETF58.18%
58.18%OIH
OIHVanEck Oil Services ETF
VanEck Oil Services ETF49.84%
49.84%IEZ
IEZiShares U.S. Oil Equipment & Services ETF
iShares U.S. Oil Equipment & Services ETF43.85%
43.85%Source: Finviz. Data is current as of April 3, 2026, and is intended for informational purposes only.
Source: Finviz. Data is current as of April 3, 2026, and is intended for informational purposes only.» Excited about energy ETFs? Here are the best online brokers for ETF investing
» Excited about energy ETFs? » Excited about energy ETFs? Here are the best online brokers for ETF investingWhy invest in energy ETFs
Why invest in energy ETFsEnergy ETFs offer access to energy companies without having to pick and choose stocks yourself. If you want to be a little more selective with your investments, you can look for energy ETFs that suit your personal portfolio. For instance, if you’re interested in sustainable investing, there are clean energy ETFs that focus on renewable energy.
Energy ETFs offer access to energy companies without having to pick and choose stocks yourself. If you want to be a little more selective with your investments, you can look for energy ETFs that suit your personal portfolio. For instance, if you’re interested in sustainable investing , there are clean energy ETFs that focus on renewable energy.And it may not seem like you’re diversifying if you invest in a sector-specific ETF, but the energy sector is diverse in itself. For instance, in 2020, when oil prices plummeted, renewable energy was starting to get more attention. This intra-industry diversification may create a small safety net within your portfolio.
And it may not seem like you’re diversifying if you invest in a sector-specific ETF, but the energy sector is diverse in itself. For instance, in 2020, when oil prices plummeted, renewable energy was starting to get more attention. This intra-industry diversification may create a small safety net within your portfolio.Of course, having a portfolio overly dedicated to any one industry isn’t diversified enough. It's a good rule of thumb to invest across industries, company size and geography, so your portfolio is better equipped to handle market turbulence.
Of course, having a portfolio overly dedicated to any one industry isn’t diversified enough. It's a good rule of thumb to invest across industries, company size and geography, so your portfolio is better equipped to handle market turbulence.» Need to diversify your holdings? Learn more about asset allocation
» Need to diversify your holdings? » Need to diversify your holdings? Learn more about asset allocationBrokerage firms
Brokerage firms
Brokerage firmson Charles Schwab's website
on E*TRADE's website
on Vanguard's website
on Fidelity's website
Frequently asked questionsThis will depend on your existing portfolio makeup. Most robo-advisors use between eight and 10 ETFs in their portfolios, but those portfolios typically don’t include individual stocks, bonds or other investments. Learn more about how many funds you should have.
This will depend on your existing portfolio makeup. Most robo-advisors use between eight and 10 ETFs in their portfolios, but those portfolios typically don’t include individual stocks, bonds or other investments. Learn more about how many funds you should have .ETFs typically carry less risk than individual stocks because ETFs hold multiple investments. Say you invest in an individual company's stock. If that company goes out of business, your stock loses its value. If you invested in a fund that held that same company, you’d also be invested in a lot of other companies. Those companies may perform well while that company is failing, thus hedging against potential loss.
ETFs typically carry less risk than individual stocks because ETFs hold multiple investments. Say you invest in an individual company's stock. If that company goes out of business, your stock loses its value. If you invested in a fund that held that same company, you’d also be invested in a lot of other companies. Those companies may perform well while that company is failing, thus hedging against potential loss.» Learn more about stocks vs. ETFs
» Learn more » Learn more about stocks vs. ETFsNot all ETFs pay dividends, but many do. Here is a list of the top high-dividend ETFs.
Not all ETFs pay dividends, but many do. Here is a list of the top high-dividend ETFs .This will depend on your existing portfolio makeup. Most robo-advisors use between eight and 10 ETFs in their portfolios, but those portfolios typically don’t include individual stocks, bonds or other investments. Learn more about
how many funds you should have
.
ETFs typically carry less risk than individual stocks because ETFs hold multiple investments. Say you invest in an individual company's stock. If that company goes out of business, your stock loses its value. If you invested in a fund that held that same company, you’d also be invested in a lot of other companies. Those companies may perform well while that company is failing, thus hedging against potential loss.
» Learn more
about
stocks vs. ETFs
Not all ETFs pay dividends, but many do. Here is a list of the top
high-dividend ETFs
.
Neither the author nor editor held positions in the aforementioned investments at the time of publication. Neither the author nor editor held positions in the aforementioned investments at the time of publication. Neither the author nor editor held positions in the aforementioned investments at the time of publication. About the author Alana Benson Alana Benson Alana Benson is an investing writer who covers socially responsible and ESG investing, financial advice and beginner investing topics. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, MSN, Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch and others. See full bio.Helpful resources
Helpful resources Index Funds vs. Mutual Funds: The Differences That Matter Best Mutual Funds for May and How to Invest The Best ETFs and How to Start Investing 14 Best-Performing and Affordable ESG ETFs for 2026 More like this Investment Basics Investing Best Robo-Advisors: Top Picks for 2026 We spent hours testing robo-advisors to find ones that charge low fees but still offer high-quality features, including automated portfolio rebalancing, exposure to a range of asset classes and financial planning tools. 2 By Alana Benson, Sabrina Parys 14 Best-Performing and Affordable ESG ETFs for 2026 With more ESG funds available than ever, investors don't have to choose between principles and cost. Alana Benson ESG for Beginners: Environmental, Social and Governance Investing ESG, or environmental, social and governance investing, is a way to build a more ethical portfolio. Alana Benson